Yucatán wages are lowest in the nation

Two states, side by side: One pays the lowest average wages, and the other is among the most generous.

Workers in Yucatán on average are paid the lowest wages in the nation, according to statistics from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).

Employees receive only 211 pesos a day, a portion of which is intended to cover taxes and retirement savings.

That’s about half what the same worker in Mexico City would earn. The national average is 284.78 pesos a day, and neighboring Campeche — a center for the oil and gas industry — pays well above that: 391.07 pesos a day on average.

The federal minimum wage is between 63-80 pesos, depending on the nature of the job. That number represents a 4.2 percent increase granted Jan. 1.

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